The Visibility of World War II’s Onset through Hitler's Actions (1933-1939)
The warning signs for the outbreak of the Second World War were not hidden or ambiguous; they were, in fact, a direct consequence of Adolf Hitler's actions from the very beginning of his tenure as Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. Upon consolidating power, Hitler systematically dismantled Germany's democratic institutions and established a totalitarian regime with an explicit agenda of militarization, territorial expansion, and ideological domination. Almost immediately, Hitler instituted policies in violation of the Treaty of Versailles, such as withdrawing from the League of Nations, refusing to pay reparations, beginning secret rearmament, and openly rebuilding the German military. In March 1935, he reinstated conscription and announced the creation of a Luftwaffe, Germany’s air force, all bold violations of international agreements meant to keep another war at bay.
Beyond internal repression, Hitler’s foreign policy became ever more aggressive: the remilitarization of the Rhineland in 1936, open support for Franco’s Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War, the creation of alliances with Italy and Japan (Rome-Berlin Axis and Anti-Comintern Pact), and the annexation of Austria (Anschluss) in 1938, all escalated tensions and made his intentions clear to the world. His demand and subsequent absorption of Sudetenland—sanctioned by the Munich Agreement—and then the occupation of all Czechoslovakia in March 1939 further demonstrated Hitler’s designs for continental dominance. The Nazi-Soviet Pact in August 1939 removed any remaining doubts of his expansionist aims and set the stage for the invasion of Poland, which triggered the war.
The international community could hardly claim ignorance; diplomats, journalists, and foreign governments observed and documented Germany’s growing militarism and expansionism. Reports from inside Germany as early as 1934 noted the nation’s unified war preparations; foreign correspondents and ambassadors documented rearmament, militarized youth programs, and the widespread promotion of war-friendly ideology. Major events—such as the Rhineland occupation, the annexations, and the expanding alliances—were covered globally and debated in parliaments and presses. Yet, despite such ample warning, the readiness to confront Hitler’s ambitions was remarkably weak and often fell victim to rationalizations and wishful thinking, a phenomenon that foreshadowed disaster.
Roosevelt’s Early Recognition and Warnings about the European Danger
Franklin D. Roosevelt, assuming office the same year as Hitler, immediately took a very different moral and political posture. While domestic recovery from the Great Depression remained his priority, he recognized the radical nature of the Nazi regime and its threat to peace, democracy, and human decency. Roosevelt closely monitored Hitler's anti-democratic and antisemitic actions and the snowballing aggression in Europe, understanding sooner than most global leaders that non-intervention and appeasement were not viable or safe strategies.
Roosevelt publicly condemned the persecution of Jews, Nazi aggression, and the dangers posed by fascism, even while navigating strong isolationist sentiments at home. His administration slowly but steadily sought to enhance American military preparedness and provide material and moral support to nations resisting aggression, most famously through the Lend-Lease program and the "Arsenal of Democracy" speech. He repeatedly warned that the Axis ideology was fundamentally incompatible with freedom and justice, emphasizing that the world was not merely facing another war of territory but an existential battle between democracy and totalitarian evil.
Roosevelt’s Efforts to Awaken America and the World
Roosevelt did not remain content with passive observation; he consistently sought to awaken both the American people and the broader world to the danger posed by Nazi Germany and the Axis powers. Utilizing his fireside chats and major policy speeches, Roosevelt adopted several key rhetorical and policy strategies:
Direct Communication of Facts and Dangers: He insisted on frank truthfulness about world events, repeatedly warning, "Never before since Jamestown and Plymouth Rock has our American civilization been in such danger as now". He starkly described the expansionist aims of the Axis and emphasized that the war in Europe was also a test of American security, not a distant or irrelevant struggle.
Promotion of Global Solidarity and Moral Clarity: Roosevelt characterized the conflict as a struggle for the soul of humanity—freedom versus slavery; reason and decency versus brutality and hatred. He urged Americans and other free nations to unite, not merely for national defense but for the principle of human rights.
Identification of Denial as the Greater Threat: Roosevelt was acutely aware that intellectual, emotional, and political denial posed the greatest danger, stating, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance". He repeatedly cautioned that fear-induced denial could be more destructive than the very dangers feared, as it prevented collective action, delayed preparations, and allowed evil to grow unchecked.
Recognition that Passive Hope Was Not Enough: Roosevelt noted that many clung to hopes or appeasement while Hitler’s actions steadily advanced, warning of the folly of believing the oceans could keep America safe and cautioning against the seductive comfort of denial.
Calls for Action, Preparedness, and Unity: Roosevelt turned fear into a call for determined, constructive action, rallying the nation not to cower but to ready itself as the "arsenal of democracy" and a defender of free civilization.
The Consequences of Denial—How Fear Created a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Despite Roosevelt’s earnest campaign to elevate public awareness and urge preparedness, his warnings were met domestically and internationally by a pervasive reluctance to face frightening truths. The memory of the First World War’s destruction, fear of suffering, and desire to avoid sacrifice led to appeasement in Europe and isolationism in the United States. This "fear of fear" became itself the most formidable barrier: leaders and populations preferred to rationalize or ignore the threat rather than confront uncomfortable realities.
This phenomenon had profound consequences:
Policy Paralysis and Appeasement: In Europe, Britain and France’s appeasement of Hitler—caving to his demands at Munich, tolerating his violation of treaties, and failing to act even as he gobbled up territory—emboldened further aggression. Their fear of war suppressed immediate, courageous action, giving Hitler the confidence to pursue ever more reckless aims.
Public Denial and Disengagement: In America, widespread reluctance to engage with European affairs persisted even as Nazi power grew, rooted in economic suffering and the trauma of the previous conflict. Despite ample evidence reported in newspapers and from diplomats that the Nazi threat was real and escalating, many Americans hoped the crisis could be ignored.
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Catastrophe: The refusal to recognize and act upon obvious dangers enabled those threats to grow until avoidance became impossible—at which point the feared calamity was upon the world in full force. Denial and inaction thus transformed latent danger into manifest disaster.
The Philosophical Power and Enduring Relevance of “The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”
Roosevelt’s phrase—"the only thing we have to fear is fear itself"—has attained iconic significance not merely as optimistic rhetoric but as profound psychological insight. In a moment of national crisis, Roosevelt recognized and articulated the paralyzing power of fear, especially when weaponized by the mind to evade reality. His words are a warning that the greatest danger to humankind is not, in the final analysis, the presence of evil or external threat, but the temptation to deny it—born of fear—until it is too late for peaceful remedy.
This becomes a vicious cycle: fear leads to denial, denial permits evil to flourish, and eventual confrontation becomes inevitable and catastrophic. Thus, Roosevelt’s recognition anticipates the lesson of the Second World War and many subsequent crises—that denial of clear danger, more than danger itself, is what renders societies most vulnerable.
Denial of Evil: The Greatest Threat to Humankind
History and psychology both attest that denial—inspired by fear of consequences, fear of pain or loss, or fear itself—unleashes greater suffering than the threats denied. By refusing to face reality, societies silence the alarms that could spurn collective defense; they protect not their wellbeing, but the evil that imperils them.
Roosevelt understood that a civilization must choose courage and truth—however frightening—over comfortable illusions and unreasoning fear. Only by accepting reality can mankind act in time to avert disaster, preserve freedom, and restrain evil before it grows uncontrollable. His leadership, exemplified by candid communication, moral vision, and the unflinching exposure of danger and denial, remains a template both for confronting external crisis and for overcoming the internal barriers that history has shown to be just as deadly.
Conclusion
The approach of World War II was visible and knowable through Hitler’s sequence of brazen violations and conquests, which could not reasonably be ignored by the responsible powers of the day. Franklin D. Roosevelt, recognizing the existential nature of the threat, sounded the alarm both at home and abroad, consistently challenging the comfort of denial and urging the world to elevate its conscience and its will to face and combat evil. It was the paralyzing effect of fear—and, ultimately, the collective willingness to deny reality for the sake of comfort—that allowed the machinery of war and genocide to gather unstoppable momentum. Denial, in this context, became the most insidious enemy; Roosevelt’s famous admonition remains, therefore, a perpetual truth: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” for in denying danger, humanity sows the seeds of its own undoing.
